East Side Performing Arts (ESPA)

ESPA-PTP dancers train in a diverse range of codified dance techniques and participate in our annual production of The Nutcracker, as well as, classical and contemporary mixed repertoire performances throughout the season.

Ballet Classes for One Another. ACB’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable training for professional dancers in a friendly, inclusive, non-hierarchical environment. The mood is fun, supportive & relaxed. Teachers volunteer (rotation posted on Instagram ) to “lead” class (they also take class while teaching).

This class is an improvised movement flow. You will be held through verbal offerings of sensation, imagery, and texture. From delicate softness to heart-pumping effort, we will engage a wide spectrum of physicality. We will “shape-shift” through body consciousness and imagination. This is an invitation to simply show up to experience yourself in movement. We will learn and dance phrasework built from the improvised flow.

Improvisation, somatic exploration, partnering and phrase work. Class begins with improvised movement focused on sensing the body, mobilizing and energizing our form, followed by locomotion through space and interaction with other dancers through weight sharing and partnering. Class culminates in the performance of an energetic choreographed phrase which will weave in elements from our initial improvisation.

Kinetic mashup is an exhilarating 90min class co-taught by Carissa Topham Fisher and Emily Rushing. We will explore dynamic movement that challenges strength and endurance. Using everything from quick, quirky, gestural and pedestrian to luscious, full body integrated movement. We explore boundaries both physically and artistically while keeping a playful approach. Plan to work on technique, rhythm and musicality, as well as elements of physical theatre. Come mash with us!

In this class, we engage with Contact Improvisation as a radical practice of honesty and care. Our humanness is welcome here. Rooted in somatic awareness, we approach this work as a practice of presence and emergence-- of being with and responding to the unknown. We will explore bodily sphericality and three-dimensionality, cultivate a relaxed state of readiness, discover spirals everywhere, and sense our smaller bodies in relationship to the larger body of the Earth. Our movement will span from the contemplative and sensitive to the physical and dynamic. Sometimes we’ll work with precision, other times with broader strokes—through witnessing, solos, duets, and ensemble. Dance becomes a tool for practicing how to be here, now. This class is open to all levels, and there will be material to engage with whether you are a beginner or an experienced dancer. That said, some prior movement experience or body-based practice is recommended as a helpful entry point.

Are you a lover of Dance History or want to learn historic dances? This class is for you! An exploration of dance from the Medieval through Regency. Each week expect to work through several dances throughout history.

Dance Church is a community-minded, all-levels, all-abilities, all-bodies movement class that offers a fun and inclusive approach to dancing. It’s part “fitness” and part “dance party.”

An initiative program for emerging artists of color to share their movement styles and teach drop-in classes. The program is led by Marcel (Mars) Johnson and will have a different teacher every week.

Led by Geografía co-founder Bonnie Alonzo-Hansen, this class balances tossy, swingy, weighted movement explorations with supple floorwork and dynamic gestures. Dancers will spiral, fall, melt, and propel across the floor to sweaty, joyous exhaustion.

Class begins w/a mix of familiar, functional movement patterns & generating muscular warmth through improvisational games & isometric ideas. Class continues w/technical phrase work that strives to expand your limits through a wide range of locomotive & athletic movements, involving weight shifts, directional changes, & exploring the body’s relationship to gravity.

This is a Limón class with some influence of the Graham technique. Focused on finding your communication with your body combined with the intention of self-expression.

Heels Movement is an 18+ commercial jazz funk class focused on movement exploration & performance quality with new choreography every class. Students are given freedom to make their own choices within the "steps" & challenged to work on musicality, performance, & intention thru frequent music changes! NOTE: Heels are OPTIONAL. Any heels must be clean from dirt & will require heel protectors (provided) to protect Marley flooring.

Join Jordan for her signature Mat Class—a personalized, anatomy-based class for all movement levels. Classes will be live streamed via Zoom. What to Bring: Please bring a Yoga Mat if you have one. A limited number of mats will be provided, first come first served. No need to bring any additional props! As the class grows, so will our prop collection. If you’re interested in sponsoring a prop purchase, please reach out.

Ventana Ballet hosts open Company Class on Tuesdays from 10:30am-12noon. Classes are led by Ventana Ballet Assistant Director, Navaji David Nava, or Ventana Ballet Director, AJ Garcia-Rameau. are designed to build your stamina, refine control, and develop your artistry. Classes will focus on classical ballet technique infused with contemporary approaches. Stick around after class for Open Rehearsals. View the live schedule at https://bit.ly/vbsched !

Class explores the body as both storyteller and an evolving instrument, inviting sensation, alignment, and personal expression into the space. As a Community of movers, we’ll unlock the stories living inside us—through progressive floorwork sequencing, improvisation, and phrasework shaped by modern, postmodern, and contemporary influences. Class builds progressively, deepening into themes that bring expansion to our own athleticism, curiosity, and flow. We’ll aim to leave class with a greater sense of spaciousness in the body, richer circulation, and a clearer connection to our own internal architecture—moving from its shifting landscapes and endless potential. Come expand, shape space, and for remember the joy of movement.

This class brings us diving, falling, and rebounding into the principles of José Limón. Through sensation and weightiness, we will discover how to stretch, expand, and align ourselves with the world around us through gesture and shape. We aim to examine and expand upon movements that occur in our everyday natural world, bringing a living, breathing dance into play—with a momentum driven by desire to branch out and transform the space we inhabit. All movement backgrounds are welcome to explore this joyous practice that brings us closer to our breath and the fleshy reality we call life.

Yo, what’s good? SMF Dance Classes is about bringing that raw Bronx, NY energy straight to Austin, TX! I’m a born-and-raised New Yorker with four years of teaching experience in Hawaii/NYC and I’m ready to get you movin’ with my RnB and hip-hop vibes. My classes are all about breaking down the steps—slow and steady—so you can nail the moves, build mad confidence, and have a blast while you’re at it. Open to adults and teens (13+), we’re getting down every Wednesday from 5-6 PM. Whether you’re new to dance or got some skills, I got you. It’s not just about the steps; it’s about owning the floor and feeling good in your own skin. Come join the SMF crew, and let’s turn up the music and the fun!

The focus of this class is to create and maintain a foundation of house footwork with an emphasis on groove. All levels are welcome. For those who are beginners, there will be opportunities to concentrate on the basics of l footwork and rhythm. Movers with more experience will have the freedom to add nuance to the repetitive footwork and further define or explore their own relationship to rhythm.

East Side Performing Arts Professional Training Program offers accredited dance education, community and international training and performance opportunities, as well as mentorship for dancers to prepare for all aspects of a professional and/or collegiate career.

Contemporary Partnering & Play Workshop is a space for artists to play with movement, make mistakes, discover new pathways and experiment with different ways bodies connect. We approach partnering with the eyes of play and use the workshop as a place to build your toolbelt of knowledge to be a foundation to tackle any lift thrown your way. Become a master of your skill and hone your eyes and bodies to feel and sense new ways partnering can occur. Childcare a barrier to attending? Email evelyn@spacesoffontana.com to help arrange something for you! We make every effort to support parents in the arts and want to help overcome any obstacles for you to be able to continue to hone your craft.